Colts WR Michael Pittman drew 13 targets in Sunday's tie with Houston, 6 more than his nearest teammate. Matt Ryan's 50 pass attempts helped enhance that number, but the 26% target share marked a nice start for Indy's clear lead wideout. He proved efficient, too, racking up a 9-121-1 receiving line. RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Kyle Granson tied for 2nd on the team with 7 targets apiece. RB Nyheim Hines and WR Ashton Dulin followed at 6 apiece. No one else drew more than 4. That made Week 1 disappointing for WRs Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce, who drew targets on just 7.7% and 6.3% of routes, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. (For context: Pittman finished at 27.1%, Dulin at 46.2%.) Campbell and/or Pierce will need things to change before making sense for fantasy football lineups.
Colts HC Frank Reich wants a more balanced offense this season after ranking 28th in pass rate last year. "You don’t see teams that have this ground-and-pound run game win championships,” Reich said. “You just don’t. I’m sure it’s happened with one or two teams, but our best formula is to be balanced." Reich also conceded that it will mean fewer touches for RB Jonathan Taylor. "I’m not saying he won’t lead the league in touches, because you never know how things are going to play out. But I almost don’t want him to," he said of Taylor. “The goal is not to lead the league in rushing. The goal is not to make him the MVP of the league. The goal is to win championships." Taylor easily led the league with 332 carries last year -- 25 more than anyone else. So he can afford to lose some and still be a fantasy stud. More passing, of course, would be good news for QB Matt Ryan, WR Michael Pittman and the rest of the Colts' pass catchers.
Colts HC Frank Reich discussed the offense’s up-tempo style at training camp. “It’s unbelievable,” Reich said of new QB Matt Ryan pushing the pace. “We’ve never practiced like this. It’s a mentality, a confidence. It’s ‘we got to keep up and play.’ We are dictating tempo from the huddle to the ball and we are going. (Ryan) told me at the start, ‘I’m going to push the tempo. I said, ‘We will follow your lead.’” Indy ranked 21st in plays per game last year, so perhaps we see a bump up in 2022. While we’re not targeting Ryan in fantasy drafts, we do like his presence for 3rd-year WR Michael Pittman.
Colts WR Michael Pittman discussed “route discipline” as an area of focus this offseason. “Sometimes you just go out there and start playing football,” Pittman said. “Yes, I can make plays like that, but you want to stay on QB timing because it helps everybody else flow, so I’m really working on that.” Pittman’s reportedly meshed well with new QB Matt Ryan, who’s demanded a lot from the USC product. Thin WR depth sets Pittman up for ~130+ targets -- and clear top-10 fantasy upside.
Colts QB Matt Ryan impressed coaches, teammates and the media with his play and leadership this offseason. “Matt was unbelievable,” HC Frank Reich said. “Really, A-Z, he did everything right. Just great leadership, great play. I mean, the whole way he took command … I knew he was good, but his accuracy is insane." OC Marcus Brady said Ryan is "damn near a coach on the field." And rookie WR Alec Pierce said, "He could basically run this offense and this team by himself." We'd expect the 14-year veteran to impress in the intangibles department. But, by all accounts, Ryan's arm strength and accuracy were excellent over the past few months. He's still not an exciting fantasy asset in a run-first offense and without rushing upside. But Ryan's arrival could be a boost for the Colts' skill-position players.
Colts HC Frank Reich admitted that the team is considering adding another WR. To date, Indy’s only noteworthy offseason addition was Round 2 pick Alec Pierce. “That’s what [GM] Chris (Ballard) and I were talking about today, this morning in fact,” Reich shared. “We’ll see how these guys do through all of these (offseason workouts), and then do we need to add somebody? Do we need to talk about T.Y. (Hilton) if he’s still out there?” It’s a possible issue for Parris Campbell, who’s durability concerns have been well documented. Michael Pittman will retain a WR1 ceiling regardless of any move.
Colts QB Carson Wentz (COVID) has been medically cleared to play vs. the Raiders today, HC Frank Reich told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. Wentz is just a QB2 in what figures to be another run-heavy attack from the Colts. But he's good news for RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton sustained a concussion in Sunday's loss to the Titans and will miss Thursday night's game vs. the Jets, according to The Athletic's Zak Keefer. We'll see if Hilton can get cleared for Week 10. Michael Pittman and Zach Pascal will again operate as Indy's top 2 WRs on Thursday night.
The forecast for tonight's Colts-49ers game calls for a 100% chance of rain with winds of 20-30 mph. That's ugly -- and certainly enough to impact the passing and kicking games. We'd try to avoid both of these passing games outside of 49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Colts WR Michael Pittman. You should also stay away from both Ks.
Colts WR Michael Pittman (ankle) is active for today’s game against the Rams. He’s a shaky fantasy play vs. a defense that allowed the fewest fantasy points to WRs last year and limited the Bears WRs in this year’s opener. WR Parris Campbell (abdomen) is inactive.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Colts are "confident" WRs Michael PIttman (ankle) and Parris Campbell (abdomen) will play today against the Rams. Each will be tested in pre-game warm-ups to confirm his readiness, though. Neither ranks high among our Week 2 fantasy plays at the position.
Colts WRs Michael Pittman (ankle) and Parris Campbell (abdomen) are questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Rams. Both guys were added to the injury report and limited in Friday's practice. Campbell wasn't a fantasy option anyway after running a route on just 65% of pass plays in the opener. Pittman is also better off on fantasy benches this week at less than 100% and in a tough matchup.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton had surgery this week to alleviate his disc issue, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. The team has placed the veteran wideout on IR, but GM Chris Ballard reportedly said they expect Hilton back "sooner than later." The IR stint means Hilton will miss at least 3 games, but it sounds like he might not be out much longer than that. Expect Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal to work as the top 3 WRs while Hilton is gone.
Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports that WR T.Y. Hilton is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with an injury he initially suffered in practice last Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's being evaluated for an "upper back/neck injury." We'll see about the specific diagnosis and return timeline. Hilton already didn't sit high in the rankings, so he's not worth much attention in typical fantasy football drafts. Hilton's absence will help the target outlooks for WRs Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that Colts QB Carson Wentz (foot) is "trending" toward being ready for the start of the season. That jibes with recent positive reports on Wentz's recovery from August 2 surgery. We're still 32 days away from the Colts' season opener, so we'll continue to monitor Wentz's progress. Mortensen adds that G Quenton Nelson (foot) is also on track to be ready for Week 1. Excellent news for the entire Colts offense.
Colts QB Carson Wentz will undergo foot surgery and is expected to be out 5-12 weeks, HC Frank Reich announced Monday. Wentz's injury reportedly dates back to high school, but a broken bone recently came loose and is causing pain. The surgery will remove that piece of bone. The timeline is wide-ranging and would have Wentz back anywhere between early September and late October. That means Wentz has an outside chance to be ready for Week 1 -- or could be out for about half the season. We'll be on the lookout for updates on his surgery and rehab. But at this point, Wentz isn't worth drafting in lineup-setting leagues and should be considered just a QB3 in best ball. His situation also adds risk to Indianapolis' skill-position players, namely RB Jonathan Taylor and WRs Michael Pittman, T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell.
Update: Reich added that he expects to have a better idea of Wentz's return date in about 2-3 weeks.
The Athletic's Stephen Holder predicts that Michael Pittman will become the Colts' #1 WR this season. "If he wants to become the Colts’ go-to wide receiver, the opportunity is there," Holder writes. "And I happen to think he’s very much up to the task." Pittman didn't stuff the stat sheet as a rookie. But his development was stunted in September by a significant calf injury. He returned to play 72+% of the Colts' offensive snaps in each of the final 10 games -- and went for 90 yards in the playoff loss in Buffalo. With T.Y. Hilton past his prime and Parris Campbell's already lengthy injury history, Pittman certainly has a chance to lead this team in targets. We like him as an upside pick at his 8th- or 9th-round price tag.
Colts WRs Michael Pittman (toe) and Zach Pascal (ankle) are questionable for this weekend’s game against the Vikings. Pittman was limited in practice all week, while Pascal got in a full practice on Friday. Neither guy is a fantasy option, but their absences would mean more targets for WRs T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell.
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